I've been tagged!

Here's the deal --
Look in your computer picture files. Choose the fourth folder, fourth picture and then TALK about it...



This was taken when Jayce was about four or five months-old. I was camera crazy back then, so this same shot was repeated over and over again. As baby-ish as he looked, I always thought he had wise eyes. I think I bought that sleeper at Old Navy. I'm also guessing that the family room (where he was posing) was clean -- that was the back in the day when Jayce was harmless as far as disasters went. I miss those days. Anyone want to come and clean my family room? After Tornado Alyssa this afternoon, I need help! :)

I tag Tricia, Holli, Jennifer, David, and Kellie (and anyone else, for that matter)

Playhouse Disney

On Saturday, Jayce and I were able to go to Playhouse Disney with Tricia, Shane, and Trevor (thanks, guys -- and Julie!). I had taken Jayce last year by myself, but this year was much better with his buddy, Shane. I guess I'm not cool enough.


Okay, $27!!! (There was a pretzel in there as well, but seriously?). I swear, Disney doesn't make a killing from ticket sales . . . it's all merchandising. The refreshments were only slightly outrageous ($4 for the drink, $3 for the pretzel), but $20 for the wand thingy? Robbery! I was a willing victim, I guess. But how could I deny Jayce . . .


. . . a chance to play "swords" with Shane? Throughout the show they were having duels. As much as Jayce loved the show, I think he liked the sword fight better. Just leave it to our boys to imagine weaponry. By the way, how cool are those sunglasses hanging off his shirt? He takes after his dad. He's too cool to be my son.


Here's a very happy camper!



And here's a shot of Mom and Jayce. I'm providing proof that I did take him somewhere that he actually appreciated.

Okay, I was trying to be all sneaky and illegal by taking a picture of the characters. So what does this picture say? It says I need a new camera! Jer? Guess I deserved it -- no photos allowed. :(

Apple Orchard Adventures

I'm behind on posting, but this is actually pretty significant. On September 13, 2007, my blog was born (sniff, sniff). My very first post had to do with our apple orchard playgroup. Well, here we go again. The circle of life!
.
Well, this year's trip wasn't as successful as last time, due to the dramatic, tear-filled tirades by my daughter. I think she was a bit under the weather, so she was having no part in the apple picking fun. Jayce was tired of walking through the rows of inedible vegetables (besides a couple of squash, we were unsuccessful in scoring great finds). Anyway, since my children are more independent now, they don't "go with the flow" as easily. They're opinionated little people who express their disapproval. By the end of our adventure, they were more than ready to leave. Fortunately, the company of Kellie, Tricia, and Leslie kept me sane. Despite my grumpy kids, they still wore smiles on their faces. Thanks, girls!


Thanks, Tricia, for this great pic of Jayce. He was quite pleased with his apples and loved eating them the following week.



And, Kellie, thanks for the pictures of Alyssa. They provided the perfect description of our day. If Alyssa wasn't listless in the stroller (see above), she was crying (see below).




You know, I try to make an effort to do fun things with the kids, but sometimes it's a bust. However, all I can do is keep trying and maybe someday they'll appreciate my efforts. Or maybe not. And that's okay. :)

Sunday Night Musings

What a poor poster I've been! No pictures, no excitement -- nothing. And, to continue my trend, I am going to write a few things weighing on my mind.

I think I've traumatized Jayce. Lately his prayers include, "Please bless Mommy that she won't be mean to me." This initial request stemmed from a day that was a particularly bad for me in the patience department. Despite my pleadings, he had darted into a busy parking lot as I was retrieving Alyssa from the library. Yes, I got mad. Later on that night he had gone to time out for some transgression, and as I came to get him he asked, "What happened to my nice Mom?" Okay . . . ouch!

I am so sick of the upcoming presidential election. For one thing, I'm not impressed with either candidate, so I'm voting for the lesser of two evils (an option I detest!). Because I live in a swing state, I'm surrounded by political ads and activists. Please stop trying to convince me! I'm done with the pandering! I'm mourning Mitt Romney. I feel like he would have been an invaluable leader in this financial crisis.

Chocolate chip cookies are divine, but I like the dough better.

Jeremy is working on a Sunday night, and he probably won't be home until after 11. What is wrong with the owner? Couldn't a financial statement meeting wait until tomorrow? My poor husband is tired and overworked.

BYU is ranked #7 in the AP poll and #8 in USA Today. The following lyrics come to mind: "Celebrate good times, come on!" Okay, how fun is it to be a BYU fan right now?

Monday is tomorrow. What happened to my weekend? Life is a blur!

Over and Out.

All About Jayce

After my trip last weekend, my week has been rather ho-hum. So, in an effort to find blog material, I will now list eight unique characteristics of Jayce (I did this for Alyssa a few months back, so for posterity I should probably write something about my son as well).

1. He is very detail oriented -- bordering on scary! The other day he saw the famous lifeguard scene from "Sandlot." The whole kissing part kind of went over his head, but the rescue didn't. He was able to recreate the scene for me a couple of days later . . . including details such as taking the whistle off first and then the sunglasses -- then the dive, then the CPR steps she took, etc. Whenever he acts things out, he brings out specifics of scenes that I've never noticed before. Also, when he creates his own scenes (such as a police chase), he adds so many facets that I think so many people gloss over (like talking into a radio, waiting for a response, opening the car door, closing the car door, adjusting his imaginary handcuffs just so, etc.). I'm glad he's so observant to a point, but then I worry that he's watching ME. I need to tread carefully with this one.
2. He has an amazing memory, which I think goes along with his detailed observation. The song "I'm yours" by Jason Mraz came on the radio, and he kept telling me it was from a movie. I couldn't figure out what he was talking about, but then I finally realized he was recalling a pre-show we had seen more than two months before (it was at one of those kid freebie movies at the theater). He then told me how Jason was wearing a black shirt. Okay, freaky. I didn't think kids paid attention to the pre-show . . . that was popcorn eating time. I have impressive recall abilities, so I'll credit that to me (although, admittedly, my memory has failed many times as well).
3. He will not go to bed by himself -- Jer or I have to lay by him. We get awfully frustrated because this takes up a lot of precious evening time, but he seems so fearful at night that we cave in to his demands.
4. Jayce has MAJOR separation anxiety issues, as I'm sure you could tell by my preschool post. He loves to stick close to me during the day and has major fits at church when he has to go to Sunbeams. I feel like preschool has helped, but he still has a long way to go.
5. His favorite song is "Heaven is a Place on Earth" by Belinda Carlisle (long story) -- a song he loves to sing loudly at awkward times in public places.
6. He is very obedient, polite, and good-natured with other adults and kids. At home he can be sassy, however, and rather defiant. But even when he gives me looks of disgust, he can't hide his underlying sweetness.
7. Jer and I commonly refer to him as "The Enforcer." He's a stickler for rules. For instance, if Jer says anything like "idiot" or "dang it" (usually as he's driving), I'll hear about it when they get home. Or if I don't turn off a light and leave the room (he hates wasting electricity), Jer will hear about it when he gets home. Man, we can't get away with anything!!! And other kids, playing with Jayce, can't get away with anything either. What a killjoy! :) (He also likes to send us to timeout -- something Jer and I are happy to do for him).
8. He loves Alyssa, and we're so glad!

Actually, I remembered a few more I wanted to document, but please stop reading before I bore you to tears (remember . . . it's for posterity :) ).

- Jayce has become my budding astronomer and is very interested in knowing his place in the universe. Fortunately I kept my astronomy book from college, so we've been going over the planets, the sun, solar system, and galaxies. He even wants me to go over complex diagrams like the birth of a star or black holes. I'm finding it very tricky to answer his questions.
- He loves the science museum! We go there contantly and he's fascinated by the demonstrations. The other day we learned about the human body and he loved holding the different organs (fake ones, of course). He's a big fan of his bones and muscles.
- Jayce is very aware of food content and asks me "what's in this?" for every meal. He's especially concerned about sugar bugs since we've taken him to the dentist. I need to brush up on my food knowledge because he even wants to know the specific vitamins for the foods he eats. I'm glad he's so good . . . I love the idea of having a little health nut.

Spontaneity pays off!

Well, being a huge Cougar fan, I was disappointed at the thought of missing the HUGE UCLA game on Saturday. In addition, my friend, Kirk, was having his paintings displayed at the Springville Art Museum and his opening reception was that day. Homesickness pangs overcame me (as they always do during football season), and I was quite melancholy. However, a crazy thought occurred to me -- why don't I go to Provo this weekend? I called my kind husband at work who was fine at the prospect of staying home with the kids. Seriously, he's the coolest. When I tried to secure tickets, I checked Craig's List and was willing to pay a bundle. Fortunately, I called my brother, Scott, who said he had a ticket for me for free (can it get any better?). So, off I went to embark on a Provo trip, in a quest of viewing an amazing game, seeing some great art, and visiting my family. Fortunately, the trip fulfilled my wishes and more.


How could you not love this scene? A beautiful fall day at LES. Nothing is more poetic!


When you get a picture with Cosmo, you know things are going your way. We look awfully cozy -- I felt like I had known him for years. He patted me on the back so tenderly. Scott used his amazing long arms to get us all into the shot.


This is Scott right after our first touchdown. The scoreboard reads 6 - 0, the closest point in the game. You can see my reflection in his sunglasses.


This was taken after one of our many, many touchdowns. We had great seats! My voice is still hoarse after singing the fight song over and over and over again.

BYU shut out UCLA 59-0. My mom figured we had a boring time, but seriously, it was great fun. We were relaxed and relished in BYU's fantastic play. Plus, when the game outcome was sure, we were rooting for a shutout -- we had to stay until the end. Mission accomplished! The Bruins ended up with nothing, and I was witness to the second biggest blowout in BYU history. By the way, how lame is my "Number 1" finger? I look like I'm pointing to the sky. I need to be more decisive in my hand gestures (only the nice ones, of course).

I ran into my friends, Tim and Kari, at the art reception. They were heading to the game as well, which is a big accomplishment for Tim since he's never been a huge Cougar fan. I'm still working on him, though, and I'm hoping the game convinced him to hop on board the Lovin' BYU Train. Holli is in the background between Tim and Kari (with the long ponytail). Why didn't I get a better picture of her?

Here is the star of the day, Kirk Richards. I enjoyed seeing his paintings up close and was so impressed with the presentation. How do I have such amazing friends?

.

Besides the game and the show, I had a great visit with my family, I got to meet my new niece, I ate at Magleby's Fresh AND Brick Oven, and I got to see the scenic Wasatch Front. Another plus? I was cold!! Being from Vegas, cold hasn't been in my vocabulary for ages, but I shivered throughout the night despite a down comforter blanketing me. How great is that?

.

(This paragraph is about to sound like an Oscar acceptance speech). . . Thanks, Scott, for letting me hang with you (despite the embarrassing questions about me being your new wife -- ouch!). :) And thanks to Sarah for letting me borrow her husband for the entire afternoon. Thank you, Jer, for so willingly taking the kids and having a great time with them. You're appreciated beyond words! And thanks, BYU, for filling my weekend with no regrets. Nice game!

Success! (sort of)

My preschooler -- the calm right before the storm. :) He looks so handome and brave!


Alyssa loves the camera and wanted to be included as well.


The best part of the day? Picking him up after school and watching Alyssa maul him with hugs as she greeted him. She missed her brother!

Well, Jayce's first day on Tuesday was semi-satisfying. He was so stoked to go and practically ran out the door. Reality began to sink in as I tried to drop him off, however. After greeting the teacher, he kept pleading with me to stay five more minutes. I sat on the couch for a bit and very matter-of-factly told him goodbye and that I would see him soon. That strategy didn't work, and I was stuck with an hysterical boy -- begging me not to leave. I sat down again, and as he started playing with the play dough, I tried to slip out. He was too observant and immediately rushed to gate, screaming, "Don't leave me, Mommy. I love you!" Tears streamed down his face, and I did all I could to keep mine from spilling out as well. I stood firm and told him to have fun, and then I was off with Alyssa for some girl time. The 2 1/2 hours were torture! I had no idea how he was doing -- had he recovered from the trauma? Fortunately, he had. When I came to pick him up, he was all smiles and couldn't stop talking about all the fun. According to the teacher, he quietly sobbed for about 10 minutes and then was perfectly fine, obedient, and helpful.

So, after the rave reviews, you would think he would be better today? No such luck. He still cried, pleaded, and tried to escape. As I left, though, I didn't feel quite so guilty because I knew he had had fun the time before. According to Ms. Natalie, Jayce had found the same little crying spot but only cried for five minutes instead of 10. Progress, right? Again, all smiles when I picked him up. I asked him, "Jayce, if you have so much fun at preschool, why do you cry when I leave?" He responded, "Mom, I'll just cry for a little bit and then I'll be okay." Wise words! I need to be okay with his crying because I know it's just temporary, and it does make him feel better. But I do look forward to the day when dropping him off isn't so dramatic!